High School Basketball Player With Epilepsy Mocked By Students During Game

posted by Bill Galluccio -
Dec 3, 2018

A senior at Cathedral High School in Indiana was mocked for having epilepsy during a recent basketball game against Center Grove. James Franklin Jr. was about to take a free throw when he noticed a student in the stands started shaking and pretending to have a seizure. He also said that he heard students yelling "have another seizure for me" during the game.

"It didn't hit me at first," James told WISH-TV, "Like last night it didn't hit me. But this morning, I woke up and was thinking hard and had a lot on my mind and started crying a lot. I cried."

The fan was on the sideline dancing when he dropped to the floor and started shaking as if he was having a seizure, while people in the crowd could be heard chuckling.

“It didn’t really hit us until we went to dinner after the game,” James' mother, Tamieka, told the Indianapolis Star. “It was like, ‘Did that really happen?’ Did they really mock a young man who has overcome a disability to play the sport he loves? My hope is that it shines on a light on what he has overcome.”

“If they knew what it is like to not be able to drive,” James said. “Not to be able to go anywhere by yourself, be left alone, can't even use the restroom without closing the door. You wouldn't make a mockery of such a thing."

Center Grove High School sent out a tweet saying that the "situation does not represent our school or community values" but did not say whether the student will be disciplined.

CGHS is working with Cathedral to move forward after Friday’s game. This situation does not represent our school or community values. CGHS does not condone unsportsmanlike or disparaging behavior. In all situations, we must show respect and consider how our actions impact others.